"apt to cause a contusion, bruising," 1798, from Latin contus-, past participle stem of contundere "to beat, bruise, grind, crush, break to pieces" (see contusion) + -ive.
Entries linking to contusive
contusion n.
c. 1400, "act of beating or bruising; a bruise, an injury to the body without apparent wound or fracture," from Latin contusionem (nominative contusio) "a crushing, breaking, battering," in medical language, "a bruise," noun of action from past-participle stem of contundere "to beat, bruise, grind, crush, break to pieces," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + tundere "to beat" (see obtuse).
-ive
word-forming element making adjectives from verbs, meaning "pertaining to, tending to; doing, serving to do," in some cases from Old French -if, but usually directly from Latin adjectival suffix -ivus (source also of Italian and Spanish -ivo). In some words borrowed from French at an early date it has been reduced to -y (as in hasty, tardy).